Inseparable
by State Kunoichi
Summary: SasuNaru. LONG ONESHOT. If Naruto had succeeded in his mission for bringing Sasuke back before he left the village, how would their relationship unfold from there? The bonds Sasuke had desperately tried to break are now making him think twice about Naruto


**Basic Warning: This pic is SasuNaru. Don't like the pairing, roles or Yaoi, then don't read. Intended for Ages +15. Blah blah. You know the drill.**

**Disclaimer: NARUTO and its characters and related themes are property of Kishimoto Masashi. Only the plot belongs to me**

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He finally did it.

After hours on hours of searching and fighting, the mission was complete. As Kakashi sped past the medical shinobi who were collecting the genin who barely clung onto life and the ones that have already died, he followed his summoned dog to the last of the shinobi that needed to be collected.

If he didn't have to have that other mission, if he only listened to his instincts to stay behind since one of his students had unusual behavior, then none of this would have happened.

No lives would be at stake.

No one would have to shed a tear, thinking of losing someone they were so close to.

But those heavy thoughts were slowing the jounin down. So he pushed them to the corner of his mind and went into a full sprint to the direction that Pakkun was leading him.

'I just hope I'm not too late,' he thought.

Upon arriving to the destination, the first thing that caught his attention was the faint signs of smoke. Obviously a fierce battle was held. And of all places, the Valley of the End. The setting just seemed so perfect for this fight.

But he couldn't let himself be caught up in symbolism. He had to find what he was looking for. He just hoped that it didn't turn out for the worst. If so, then who knows what would happen in later years. There would be so much pain, so much turmoil. A small sense of doom passed over that made the silver-haired man shudder. He shook the feeling off to try and focus on the task at hand, cursing his short-attention span.

The rain seemed to pick up more as Kakashi pulled up part of his hitai-ate revealing the blood-red eye hidden throughout the day. It was impossible to sense them now. Assuming the fight went the way it did, their power would be completely depleted. And hopefully not gone, one way or another.

The jounin walked up to the edge of the cliff, looking around the area, scanning the river and the waterfall, hoping nothing was left in the water that would lead to more depression among the people back in Konoha.

Nothing was found in the water.

The riverbanks?

A quick scan didn't show anyone there. Hopefully no one fell and drifted off with the current.

A small panic began to arise, not finding any signs of life but only the remains of a fight. Don't think of the worse, he kept telling himself. I have to find them. I have to.

"Kakashi!"

The shout brought him out of his negative thoughts as he let his eyes turn to his ninja dog. He quickly rushed over to the site, not letting any thoughts invade his mind. No positive hopes or negative doubts. He just had to get there and see for himself. His legs slowed down, bringing him to a slow pace, with him barely dragging his legs over to what he could clearly see now, despite the heavy rainfall trying to wash away the scene.

Both boys were covered in gashes and blood. Evidence was left on their bodies from the forbidden powers they were using shortly before their jounin leader appeared. As the young blonde lay in a puddle of blood and rain, the deep shade of whiskers slowly sharpened themselves to the thin marks that were generally seen on his face. His fingernails retracted themselves back to their normal lengths and his face relaxed from the semi-murderous expression as he slowly slipped out of consciousness.

The older boy was sitting on his knees, the red and white fan on the back of the clothing facing Kakashi. The hair was lighter and much longer than usual, his skin was darker than its normal, pale appearance. But little by little, the signs of this form were slowly disappearing, his skin turning back to its lighter shade and his hair turning back to its dark one. But while this was happening, neither boy made a move. Not Sasuke, nor Naruto.

Kakashi took precaution approaching the two bodies, seeing that they still remained motionless. He quickly pondered at the thought of Sasuke being out cold while sitting on his knees, but the jounin was used to seeing motionless bodies fall into unusual and uncomfortable positions, mostly due to death. But upon closer inspection, one of them was still awake. One of Sasuke's hands was tugging on a tan one, silently and weakly due to the lack of strength. The hand Sasuke was desperately trying to remove was clenching onto his shirt as if life depended on it, which to Naruto, it was. And yet Naruto was still unconscious, but that same determination could be illustrated in the grip of Sasuke's shirt. It was something amazing to see, even in the worst of times such as this.

Kakashi slowly made his way to the two boys, letting his presence be known to the young Uchiha boy. The said boy turned his head, revealing the bags under his eyes that naturally came with exhaustion, marks and bruises covering his face, all the way up to hitai-ate that loosely sat on his forehead. It wasn't visible before, but now he could see the large stain of blood that covered his left shoulder.

Sasuke looked like a mess. But Naruto didn't look any better. Evidence of a hole in his right chest, his skin partially ripped to shreds due to the immense chakra on his body. But the broken hand still clinging onto Sasuke. It was something that really couldn't be described into words, especially when you would see it with your own eyes.

"He…"

Kakashi turned his attention back to the dark-haired boy. His eyes not only seemed darker than they ever had before, but seemed so lost, so broken. It was heartbreaking.

"He won't…let go…."

Those words that were whispered were barely heard over the heavy rain and the crashing waterfall from below. But to Kakashi, he even heard a bit of amusement in those words, but it was so unclear. But the whole scene in front of him, seeing them in such a pitiful state right now…

"Is he still alive?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke's eyes drifted back to the blonde boy still holding onto his drenched shirt. He let a few moments pass before he spoke with a shaky voice.

"Even through death, he would still hold on…"

The words sank in for the longest time before the silence was broken.

"But no, he's not dead. I…I couldn't kill him…."

The other hand wrapped itself around the blonde hand dangling on the shirt. Sasuke gazed down at the unconscious face below before whispering his last thoughts.

"I _wouldn't_…."

Pakkun remained silent and motionless as Kakashi moved closer to the two until he was only a few meters away. It was so pitiful, seeing them like this. It was like a lost child holding onto the one thing left that made sense in his world. But that was the exact state Sasuke was in. He saw Naruto as the only thing left that seemed right, where there was no confusion, no pain. Just knowing that someone is there and that there is a future. The jounin covered his Sharingan, a gift from an Uchiha long ago, before taking a firm stance and speaking with a strong tone to the conscious boy.

"You do realize I won't let his hard work go in vain."

There was no response from the boy.

"You're coming back to the village, Sasuke."

A heavy sigh, one made more from fatigue than from annoyance, escaped Sasuke's lips before closing his eyes and giving something a little thought.

"I just couldn't do it," he whispered again. "Or rather, he just wouldn't let me…."

He released his hands from Naruto's and let them drop to his sides with Naruto's hand still having a strong hold on the boy.

"He just wouldn't let me break those bonds…."

* * *

A sharp scream was heard throughout the blinding white halls in the building. The noises refused to quit, even with a whole medical team rushing to the site.

"Hold him down!"

"Keep his chakra compressed!"

"Where are those drugs I asked for?"

Six men and women covered in white held down each limb, the torso, and even the head of the young Uchiha boy. Sasuke's body jerked over and over, desperately trying to get out of the hold of the strangers trying to do to him what they have been doing for the past three days: forcing things in, sucking things out, seeing how his body would react to which type of pain from the outside and in.

It was not only a very painful process, but an annoying one as well. It didn't seem like they were getting anywhere closer to what they were looking for. Hell, maybe they even went a few steps back! But Sasuke was forced to be their guinea pig for their tests, since their focus was on the curse seal that was so roughly placed there from a few months ago, and what power it held and how to control it.

As another ear-shattering cry passed from Sasuke's mouth, three women made their way into the medical room: the Hokage herself and her assistant, Shizune, and one other person, who might have an idea of what was happening, Anko.

"What's his condition now?" Tsunade asked one of the nurses.

"Tsunade-sama. Right now, the curse mark began reacting to the drugs you prescribed to suppress the foreign chakra in Uchiha Sasuke's body. Unfortunately, the results had a negative outcome and instead made his chakra rise even more than of the day before, close to the level of chakra that had been described as "Level 2.""

Tsunade turned to the women to her left with a look that said she wasn't pleased with the results.

"What do you make of this, Anko?" the blonde asked.

"I wouldn't know, Tsunade-sama. The only thing that Orochimaru had done to me was give me the mark. I never heard of a medicine that made the seal evolve into a new power. I only heard the seal would draw the victim closer to the one who performed it. All I ever had with the mark was pain and the terrible times I had to spend to control its power. I really didn't think he could make something as terrifying as this."

"And I doubt that this is all that he has done with this new technique. I bet he has even more experiments at his base. Shizune!"

"Yes Tsunade-sama!"

"Run to the lab and find what we'll need to knock the kid unconscious. The furthest we've ever gone on this is when he's out cold, so I don't want him waking up when I work on him."

"Right, Tsunade-sama."

As the assistant made her way out of the room, Tsunade brought a hand to her large forehead and gently massaged one of her temples with her thumb.

"This is getting to be a real stressful day."

"If there's anyone who will find something on this curse mark, it's you, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade pulled herself away from the massage and looked at the woman beside her with a doubtful expression. Orochimaru was the prodigy of the three Sanin, studying not only rare jutsus but forbidden ones as well. Along with his assistant, who could perform the medical things that Orochimaru physically can't, how could she compete with that? And more importantly, what about Sasuke and Anko that depended on her for a cure?

What if she couldn't do it?

"Anko-"

"Naruto-kun! What are you doing?"

The sudden outburst brought the women out of their conversation to turn to the door.

"No! You can't go in there! You're not even supposed to be here!"

"I'm going to see the Teme!"

"I said you can't go in!"

A bit of a struggle was heard before the spiky-haired blonde made his entry in the room. Though his state was no better than Sasuke's: Marks where needles and scalpels have been were visible everywhere on his body that wasn't covered by the patient's gown or bandages that were covering deep cuts or large bruises. But somehow, despite whatever pain it looked like he had to endure from treatments from earlier or from him standing in the room at that moment, Naruto was there in Sasuke's room.

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here? Get back to your room immediately!"

Naruto chose to ignore her words and keep his sights on the raven trapped in the bed.

"So what, Teme? You're just gonna be controlled by someone else? Is that it? Are you that weak?"

As Naruto was beginning to be pulled back by some of the staff, Sasuke found a way to break out of the doctors' grasp, mostly from the curse mark's power, and sit up in the bed giving the blonde a terrifying glare mixed with the Uchiha Sharingan.

"Shut the hell up, Dobe! Like you're any better! You've let that damn beast get to you as well!"

A dark finger shot through the air and pointed to the blonde beginning to secrete red chakra.

"That's right! I saw it and I know about it! You've got the Kyuubi inside of you and you're lecturing i_me_/i on how to control a power?"

"They're getting more out of control!" someone screamed.

"Hold them down!"

"I _do_ have control over my power, Teme! I don't just let myself get taken over like you are! You just proved that I'm much stronger than you, you big baby!"

"You never would have beaten me if you never tapped into that forbidden chakra! You're the one who's weaker, Dobe!"

"You just gave in at the first chance! I call that weak!"

"Shizune! Where are those drugs!"

"Teme! I bet you can't even control that power!"

"I can do just fine when I'm with you, Usuratonkachi!"

Both boys jolted back a bit as soon as those words hit the air. Sasuke, struggling out of the death grips on his body, bit back the heat on his face and tried to recover.

"W-what about you! I know you're hopeless when it comes to the Kyuubi!"

"Teme! Baka! The only reason I'm like this now is because you almost died! I thought I lost you, Sasuke!"

Another moment of awkward silence fell on the room. In that time, without ever breaking eye contact, the skin, hair and eyes of both boys began returning back into their original forms. In a matter of seconds, the skin was back to porcelain, nails were down to their original length, canines shrunk down to their usual shape and their eyes returned back to their lovely colors of cerulean blue and midnight black. The only thing on each boy that changed were the heavy shades of blush that nearly covered their entire faces.

Upon realizing the situation, Naruto turned his head to the side and tried to think of a comeback. But nothing seemed to come out. Stammering to himself, he looked over to his friend once more and saw that he never changed positions nor did the coat of red disappear from his cheeks. Without anything else to say, Naruto broke out of the already softened grips of the medical staff and headed to the doorway of the room. Before leaving, the blonde slightly turned his head to the side for everyone else behind him to hear.

"I'm going back to my room now. Don't….don't give up, Sasuke."

The moment the Uchiha's name left those lips, Naruto was already out of the room. It took another long moment before Tsunade broke out of her trance and began ordering the other people in the room.

"Make sure Naruto gets back to his room!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

"Shizune! Where are those drugs I asked for?"

"Oh, right! There right here!"

Sasuke didn't put up the fight to the unwelcome hands that kept his body pressed to the bed. Nor did he feel the needle break his skin and let whatever medicine enter his bloodstream. The only thing his mind was set on, while slipping into the darkness of sleep, were those words that would have never slipped out of his friend's mouth in any other normal condition. And those words summed up what was really happening since Sasuke's attempt to leave the village. Even his chest began to ache at the foolish decision the raven boy made, thinking of how much pain he was causing to others. To i_him_/i.

_"I thought I lost you, Sasuke!"_

_

* * *

_

Over the next year, things became more and more intense. All the medical shinobi were responsible for researching ways to suppress such terrifying power inside the host. But over time, the attacks became more and more powerful, but less and less frequent. Even when times were quiet, everyone had to be alert to prevent any serious damage to the village, thus why the studies, including what they were researching for, had to be moved out of the village to a secluded building still in the walls of the Fire Country. It was unusual, though, since none of the methods that anyone could come up with seemed to help, but the number of outbreaks of that terrible chakra had been reduced to almost never unless provoked. Either by medicine or other means.

One day, those "other means" made him erupt.

"Jiraya-sama! Look out!"

His reflexes were fast, but the red chakra was even faster when they struck the man in the gut. He was sent flying through the air and collided with the wall, forming cracks in it upon impact. As Tsunade rushed to his side, Kakashi stood in front of them as some kind of cover and focused on the form in front of him once more.

Beside him was another man, one he wasn't familiar with since ANBU were always masked, who was holding his hand out and pointing to the boy. Tsunade had trusted the man to help with finding ways of suppressing the power and Kakashi had no other choice but to trust the man as well, but that moment was proving that even this man mysterious power were standing no chance.

In front of them and other medical shinobi was a mass of red chakra they once knew as the beloved blonde boy Naruto. The massive chakra was already eating away at his skin. His eyes had already changed color and fangs were already bared. He was crouched on all fours, swaying his head from side to side trying to keep whoever was near in his sight. His physical body was still visible, but the rate of the chakra becoming darker meant that he wouldn't be in his human state for much longer.

"Are you alright?" Tsunade yelled over the roaring power.

It took a bit before Jiraya could catch his breath.

"I'll…I'll live. It's Naruto that I'm worried about…"

"I thought you said that this would help keep the Kyuubi under control!" the ANBU man yelled.

"Altering the seal…it would have a side effect….so there was a good chance that its power…would escape…"

"But by this much? How do we stop him?"

The man quickly dodged one of the red tails that swung out to get him. Everyone else backed a few steps, trying to get out of range from the fury of the beast. But the more distance they put between them, the closer Naruto go to losing himself completely.

"The necklace around his neck and the seal from the ANBU isn't working," Tsunade whispered.

The fear easily heard in her voice, wondering what would happen to the beloved boy she saw as her own kin.

"What…what do we do now?"

She hoped Jiraya had an answer. He always seemed to come up with something with that creative mind of his. But out of all times to stay speechless, he had to choose that time.

He should think of something.

Anything!

But his mind seemed to be more set on trying to control his breathing rather than focusing on the boy they were about to lose.

Just like her brother. Just like her fiancée.

She was going to lose someone else important to her.

Then, he, or rather, _it_, started acting weird.

The crimson chakra that pointed at the top of its head, probably an ear, flickered a bit, as if an animal was sensing something getting closer. And what happened next was in a flash. The head of the abomination turned once before it disappeared and smoke covered the wall behind it. Everyone else around, the Sanin and ANBU didn't see what the cause of it was. They waited for the smoke to clear, some people rushing to Jiraya's side to try and help him up in case they needed to flee.

When the smoke finally cleared, they saw it.

The being that was once Naruto was pinned to the wall by some kind of blackish being. No, not an unknown being. They knew who it was.

"S-Sasuke!"

"He transformed!"

It was indeed the said boy with a large, black hand jutting out from his back. But his transformation wasn't complete.

Days alone, he trained himself to do partial transformations since his urges to use that power never seemed to cease no matter what Tsunade did. The shinobi guarding him at first thought it was his means to escape, but whenever they pinned him down during his training, he never resisted.

And with this small discovery Sasuke made, it not only made handling that forbidden power in him easier, but helped Anko as well. However, she was a proud kunoichi who wouldn't let herself stoop so low into using that man's power unless she was in indescribable pain.

The Kyuubi's small body was desperately trying to claw at the Uchiha in front of him, but the large hand pinned his body to the wall making him immobile. At the same time, Sasuke's arm dug into the monster's throat to stop the head's movements as well. His burning flesh, both on his arm and his large appendage, could clearly be heard from anywhere in the room. It seemed like his attempts to calming the beast down were ineffective. Even with this new strength, he wouldn't be able to keep his hold on the monster for long.

It started to become a struggle to see who would overpower who. But just when the red-covered arm began to slip out of the giant cursed hand holding him down, the young raven took a deep breath and closed his eyes. And when he opened them, his eyes dilated and his irises turned to that deep red color, piercing his look into the opposing eyes.

Sasuke looked around to the unfamiliar landscape. Aside from the small flickering of lights that were unseen by the eye, the entire place was pitch black. It looked like a corridor rather than the room they were in before. The halls seemed endless and the place was so eerily quiet minus the occasional drops of water that fell from the ceiling. He took a step forward and felt the cold sludge wash in and out of his shoes, not enjoying the feeling of the thick liquid between his toes. He never liked that place and he always wanted out as soon as he got in, but he knew he had a mission.

And he wouldn't allow himself to leave until he saw the end of it.

The first few minutes he walked around only hearing the dripping water and his own footsteps in and out of the sludge. He could never know where he had to go by just memorization; the place always seemed to change its paths every time he visited. Unfortunately, he could not rely on those eyes that his clan was so famous for. Whenever he was in there, he had to rely on his sense of hearing only and hoped he got to his destination before it was too late.

A few more minutes passed until he heard some distant sounds from down the hall. He quickly picked up his pace and wove his way around, trying to keep his voice down so he could keep track on the volume of the sounds. He silently thanked himself for having such acute senses when he no longer needed to rely on his ears and could sense the chakra nearby. After going to a full sprint and turn one final corner, the raven finally made it to his destination and looked in horror.

The hall led to what Sasuke knew to be the largest room in the entire corridor. On the other side of that room was the cage that held the Kyuubi beast. He never really knew how deep the cage actually was because every time he came face to face with that demon, all he could ever make out was the hideous giant face that always snarled at him from the other side of those bars.

But this time was no different from the other times Sasuke visited this place.

Naruto was in danger.

He could see red chakra seeping out through the bars and holding onto his blonde friend who was trying his hardest to fight the fiend off. On the cage itself, there was a large paper seal with what looked like another seal was plastered on top of it. Probably from the ANBU member trying to place it on Naruto. And the last noticeable thing was the bright blue bands of light wrapping itself around that red chakra trying to break it so Naruto could escape. Unfortunately, all the combined efforts seemed to do nothing to stop the ferocious beast.

"Let go of me you damn fox!" he heard Naruto scream.

In that instant, the young Uchiha took off from his end of the room, rushing to get to the blonde's side. He noticed the giant eye on the other side of that cage flicking over to him and the deep growl that seemed to shake the entire place. Swift movements allowed him to avoid attacks of pure chakra aimed at his head and in no time at all he was already grabbing Naruto's shoulder and trying to pull him out of the demon's grasp.

"Uchiha!" the monster growled. "You always seem to just show up at the right moments, huh?"

"And you never fail to try and escape from here."

Any other time, Sasuke would easily suppress Kyuubi himself. And other times, Naruto wouldn't even be in the fox's clutches. But this time was different. He heard the unfamiliar voice of the man who took Naruto on the search for the current busty Hokage down from his own room. And when he wanted to see Naruto for something urgent, he knew it wouldn't end well. So it wasn't too much of a surprise that the fox seemed to have his power slip out this much, most likely his seal being lifted somehow. But Naruto was too close to the cage, where Kyuubi was only moments away from taking complete control and escaping his prison.

Because this was more power than what he was used to, Sasuke knew he would need additional help, Naruto's help, to stop Kyuubi's means of escape. He slowly let the electricity build up in his free hand and when it was ready, released the power on the fox's hand. It hurt like hell for Sasuke since he was getting the similar burning feeling like with their real bodies out in the conscious world. But it seemed like enough to get Naruto to start worming himself free.

With a few more tugs, he was able to get his left arm free. The demon chuckled a bit seeing how Naruto could only escape by so much but was useless when only having one arm to battle with. He sat inside this boy for the past fourteen years of his life and pretty much knew all tricks and abilities the blonde had. And fighting with limited abilities and limbs was his greatest weakness.

But what Kyuubi never accounted for was the combined power of the boys and their teamwork.

Without even looking at each other, the boys knew what to do. They've done combat together without even speaking of their plan one memorial day being in the Valley of Mist with Zabuza. Naruto glared the beast down, never breaking eye contact, and pointed two fingers to the air in front of his face.

It was such a familiar pose, and the fox already knew where this battle was going. And Sasuke quickly followed the blonde's lead and leaned over to complete the hand sign that Naruto was so well-known for doing. And not just Naruto, but Sasuke as well, cried at the top of their voices when unleashing their chakra to perform the jutsu.

"Kage-Bushin no Jutsu!"

The red boy in front of the shinobi let out an ear-shattering cry before dimming down in color. And just the same, Sasuke's hand-wing began to lose its grip on the body, slowly retracting back into the pale body. Everyone remained silent and motionless as the two bodies slowly transformed back to their original forms, the cheerful blonde and the second to last Uchiha. The boys were still pressed against the wall, Sasuke towering over Naruto, but both were still looking into each other's eyes.

Finally, the red from both their eyes finally diminished with Naruto's turning back to that magnificent blue and Sasuke's turning back to the astonishing black. Just when every feature of them had turned back, the boys were almost out of breath, desperately gasping for air only to capture each other's warm breaths, while never breaking eye contact. Their knees finally gave out, both of them sinking to the floor, but they never changed their positions. Eye contact still being made, Sasuke leaning over Naruto and touching their bare foreheads together with their breaths still mingling with one another.

"Na-Naru-to."

It was the broken name called out by Jiraya that finally broke Tsunade out of her trance. The blonde woman turned to the injured man and placed her palm over his chest, letting her chakra seep to her hand and let it emit a faint green color. She could feel the skin and muscles already trying to reconstruct themselves at a cellular level, but she knew this first aid wouldn't be enough to undo the damage done.

"Get the medical staff here immediately!" she called out. "I want them here to treat Jiraya as well as Naruto and Sasuke! We need stretchers and bindings! Get additional guards over here to help restrain the boys as we move and treat them!"

As everyone began moving around, following the orders that the Hokage barked out, neither of the two boys seemed to move. They were no longer in the subconscious world Naruto went to from time to time. But they didn't seem to respond to the real world around them. Even when the darkness began seeping in, drawing them to sleep, all they could do was keep staring into the other's eyes.

* * *

Alone in his cell. Most likely the Second Hokage's head in the monument that hung over its village.

Sasuke sat there. Waiting. Meditating.

It was the only thing he could do.

They wouldn't allow him to train that often. Whenever he did, he was to not learn or perform any powerful techniques that could, quote-on-quote, "be used against your fellow shinobi or villagers".

And it wasn't fair.

He was gaining better control of the curse mark that snake-man gave him, performing partial transformations and able to draw out small fractions of his power. He would always have to practice in secret when the guards didn't have such tight security. He was sure he could learn so much more, and even make new techniques of his own. He even made a sword out of pure electricity, a sword being his favored weapon. But even that technique was a secret to everyone around him or risk being put in a cell with his hands and feet bound with his chakra nullified.

But he wasn't the only one to suffer like this.

"Hey."

And speak of the devil, he was there.

He, just like Sasuke, was stripped down of all of his clothing, most noticeably the signature orange color he wore every day. It was part of the treatment they received with now living away from everyone else they knew. All that the blonde had on him, covering his body, was a white kimono that was exactly like Sasuke's.

It looked so pitiful, a shinobi forced into this kind of situation even when they had done nothing wrong. Well, Sasuke couldn't be in that category, but Naruto…

Sasuke quickly broke out of his meditation and turned his body to face the boy. His body weight occasionally shifted from one leg to the other, giving a small but awkward smile to the raven. His smile hasn't been big or real since they had been put into confinement for medical research on their conditions. But whenever Sasuke would see him, the tan boy never failed to give him at least one smile, even if they never really saw each other or how small Naruto's smile was.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked quietly. He was pretty sure there was a guard nearby and would eventually detect Naruto's presence.

"I just came to visit you."

He said that as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Didn't he know how much trouble they could be in?

"Relax. I put a shadow clone in my own cell. And it has most of my chakra, but almost none of my consciousness. So they shouldn't be able to detect me, in case you're wondering. Oh, and that shadow clone will hold out with as much power it's holding, not depending on my own state."

It was as if Naruto had already thought of all of the possible scenarios that could happen. He had always been sneaking out of class or into the woman's bath. So it shouldn't be surprising that he was getting better at those sneaky tactics. It was almost hard to believe that it was the same Naruto. But even so, he already made it all the way out here.

Sasuke couldn't help but raise an eyebrow before asking his next question.

"And if the guard comes by to check on me?"

"Then we're boned. Mind if I sit here?"

The pale boy opened his mouth to retort that pathetic way of thinking on if they got caught, but he pushed it aside and motioned for Naruto to take his place next to the silent raven. They sat like that for a long time, neither making any sounds or movements for that matter. Sasuke thought about continuing his meditation for a bit. But Naruto had already come out to meet him and it would be rude to ignore him like that. They rarely see each other as it is. But the awkward silence was beginning to bug him.

"Someone told me," Naruto started.

Sasuke slowly turned his head to look at his friend from the side and patiently waited for him to continue.

"I know your brother….I know Itachi is part of Akatsuki."

It looked like Naruto wanted that info to sink in, a touchy subject that he knew would bother Sasuke, before he continued on, hesitation still present in his voice.

"Someone, one of the guards, informed me that Akatsuki is on the move. Much more than before. They used to only move in a pair at a time and not that frequently. But now it seems like all of its members, all ten of them, are going around the entire land. Collecting…"

"They told you all of this?"

"The ANBU, the one who has that power to suppress the Kyuubi a bit…he seems to favor me. But he doesn't tell me everything, only things that he _can_ say."

There was a long pause before Sasuke spoke again.

"Do you know…what they're after?"

Naruto's fists clenched around his robe. And Sasuke knew, it was something to do with Naruto. More like the thing that was inside of him. He already knew it, his brother mentioned it the last time he saw the bastard, but he still wanted to hear it from the blonde's mouth.

"They're…after…they want the Jinjuriki…people who have the tailed beasts sealed inside of them. People like Gaara…or me…"

He saw Naruto whip his head around and stare at him with what looked like a desperate look. It was less intense than the one that he saw at the Valley of the End, but it still bothered the pale boy just as much.

"You can't go anywhere without me, Sasuke! Got it? If they're going after all the Jinjuriki, then they'll eventually go after me! It could be your brother again! Even if it isn't, then we could get information from them to find your Itachi!"

"Naruto-"

"Just stay in Konoha and we'll eventually take down the Akatsuki! We'll eventually get I and then you'll have your revenge! There's no need to try and leave again and go see Orochimaru! You can get just as much training here as you can with him!"

"Naruto."

"And you don't have to be alone to get your revenge! You have all of us here in Konoha! Sure, they got us in here, but it's for our own protection! They don't want Akatsuki or Orochimaru to find us and they're trying to help us with the Kyuubi and Curse Mark problems! The people here aren't bad! You can't just forget about all of them! Don't try to leave them behind again!"

"You mean don't try to leave _you_ behind again."

It didn't look like Naruto realized how close he had gotten to Sasuke when trying to convince him on not leaving, but it was all the more obvious when he finally shut his mouth. He slowly sat back onto his legs and turned his eyes to the floor in front of him, as if he needed to sort out those few words Sasuke had said to him. And as if Sasuke knew what Naruto was trying to do, the raven started speaking again.

"You say you think of me as a brother, but a brother wouldn't go as far as you do for someone, especially for someone like me. Trust me. I know from experience. The way you treat others in the village, the way you treat Kakashi, Kiba or even Konohamaru is a lot different from the way you treat me. If you think of it this way, you treat them as brothers who are older, younger, or the same age as yourself. And with each of them, they're nothing like the way you treat me.

"Naruto."

He seemed to jump from hearing his own name. Most likely from the change of tone in the Uchiha's voice.

"I don't want to say it since it sounds rude, but you don't know what it's like to have a family. You don't know the feeling of having a father or a mother. You don't know what it feels like to have a sibling. But I'll tell you from experience: You treat me differently. You treat me differently than from what you would treat a family member. And I think, deep down, you know that, too."

Sasuke turned his whole body completely to look at the younger male who was still in his own little world. But as more time passed, Sasuke's desire to hear the blonde's response grew.

He wanted to know what Naruto would say.

He really wanted to hear his answer.

But Sasuke just didn't have the patience to wait.

His body moved suddenly and reached over to Naruto. His movements were fast, but were still so gentle, as he took hold of the tan face and pulled it towards his. He was hesitant, only for a second, before he closed the distance and gently pushed his own lips against the other pair.

It wasn't a full kiss, just the surfaces barely touching one another, but it was enough to get a reaction out of the older boy. Sasuke let out a heated sigh, opening eyes he didn't know were closed, and looked straight into the azure eyes looking right back at him.

He knew Naruto would be surprised from the action. He was half expecting him to be still and silent but was also expecting a loud shriek followed by some kind of rejection statement. Maybe the statement wouldn't be full rejection and just a slip up of how confused Naruto was of his emotions. But Sasuke's patience was already so thin, so he didn't wait for Naruto to do anything else before leaning forward and kissing those rosy lips now with full contact.

And Sasuke could feel something more from this kiss. It was filling something inside his chest, so painful that he thought he was becoming a glutton for punishment, wanting to obtain more contact from the other boy, wishing that he would be on the same Cloud 9 that Sasuke was on.

And he just wanted more.

More.

More.

But it was suddenly gone.

He suddenly felt the loss of contact and when he lifted those pale lids his vision was rewarded with smoke. But there was no sun-kissed skin to be found. No mop of golden hair. No Naruto.

And suddenly, Sasuke couldn't help but let out a few chuckles. His pale hand rose and covered his face, slowing sliding down until his palm covered his mouth, finally putting a halt to the laughs that were so dry and weak.

"So it was a clone after all," he mumbled to himself.

But he should have expected it.

They really would be in trouble if he and Naruto were caught together in such a crucial time. So much that security would have been up and Naruto really wouldn't have a way of seeing the raven. The statements of the blonde's transfer of chakra and consciousness must have been true, but it was true for the clone and not the real body. Even when Naruto already looked like he prepared for the worst, he would put up some kind of safety net for his plans.

Except for the fact that Sasuke would confess his feelings, or to be more specific, i_show_/i his feelings. And it wasn't like those memories and experiences would disappear with the bushin; everything was transferred back to the original. So Naruto would know everything. Naruto would remember everything.

And Naruto would run from Sasuke.

And with that thought, Sasuke let out a couple more laughs.

And more laughs.

And more tears.

* * *

The words on the scroll were getting old from reading and rereading them.

Especially since they were the only three words he read that night.

He had been trying to concentrate for three hours, but each time he ended up letting his mind drift to something else. Specifically Naruto.

After that little incident a year ago, Naruto never brought that night up. And soon after, the two of them were released from their holding cells. Tsunade finally won the debate saying it would be safer for the village and the two of them to travel on missions rather than staying in one spot for Orochimaru or Akatsuki to capture them and destroy the village. Many times, they were set on the same missions and sometimes they had to take separate ones. And each time, Naruto would play it off and act like nothing had happened between them. Like those days when Team 7 was together before the incident with Orochimaru, before they had almost lost their connection with one another.

But those unanswered questions left Sasuke so empty.

It would have been better that he heard an answer from the blonde. Whether he could still stand him or thought of the idea of being with the raven was repulsing. Either way, he wanted some kind of response, even if it was something he didn't want to hear.

But Naruto wouldn't tell him anything and Sasuke didn't want to pry. So instead, he just played along with Naruto's game. Bottling those feelings was just something he had to endure. And pretending like everything was just like the years before was a harder mission than he imagined.

But he had to hold those feelings, even when he was sitting in his home all alone.

The house was still as large and as empty as it was years ago before the whole mess started. And it was even emptier now that Sasuke had to leave for missions constantly. Each time he would return home, he was only greeted with the few creaks of the floorboards in his family home and occasionally the howling wind outside the windows.

Sometimes, on very rare occasions, his teammates would come over to stay with him. Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto would make themselves at home as he would be their host and they would try and make the most of the few hours they had with one another. And even at those times, Naruto would try and not be so uneasy around the raven. But it was so obvious to the Uchiha that there would be no way that the blonde would ever see Sasuke so that the two of them would be alone. Not after the confession.

Sasuke scratched the back of his head, frustrated over the entire thing. Plus, Naruto wasn't in the village that night.

Over a week ago, he was assigned to go to Suna for delivering a message and some supplies and aid to the village. Curiously, they asked for Naruto specifically. But Tsunade refused to give any more info and, more importantly, made this one of the missions to separate the blonde and the raven. Instead, Sasuke was sent on a smaller mission to meet back with Naruto once his mission was over. And Sasuke was now back. But Naruto was still gone.

He didn't want to think that the Akatsuki had captured Naruto just yet. Or that Orochimaru may be holding him to get Sasuke out and capture him.

No, Naruto wasn't that weak. Not after all the training they went through. Countless hours to control their power and try to use a fraction of it in case they needed that kind of aid. So he couldn't have gotten captured so easily.

Right?

It was after a bit of thinking to himself that he noticed he was pacing around the living room. He quickly stopped his feet and let out another heavy sigh, something he always did when he was so frustrated. It would have been nice if they could hold some kind of communication with one another, but that was always a danger in itself since info could be leaked to the enemy. So there was no choice for Sasuke but to wait.

Except he wasn't exactly a patient guy.

He sat back down on the couch. Then he got up. Then he sat back down and pulled open the same scroll he was trying to read. Then he rolled it back up. Then pulled it open. Then he got back up.

He realized that he was even annoying himself with those repetitive actions. He figured he could probably calm down if he would take a bath.

Another bath.

The third one that day.

Sleep would probably work better.

If he could fall asleep, that is.

Before he even took a step to the bathroom, he suddenly bolted to the door and swung it open with such force, threatening to pull the door off its hinges. And he was greeted with a fist gently punching him in the chest. Along with golden hair, cerulean eyes, and that aura he was so familiar with.

"Uhh…" he heard pass through those tan lips.

His attire had changed from when they were still genin; before everything went haywire. Naruto still favored the color orange, but now had it accompanied with black rather than blue. His jacket was larger to fit the growth his body went through in the last couple of years; black covered the top with orange along the bottom while the hem was black as well. His sleeves were orange and had a thick black line running down the side, but both sleeves were rolled up past the elbows and buttoned in place. His pants were just as orange as his jacket and also had a large black line running down the sides from his hips to the end of the pant legs. He started wearing black gloves not too long ago that complimented his outfit and his headband changed to black with long ends to them that always rode the wind whenever there was a breeze, something Naruto said made him look "cooler". But what got the most of Sasuke's attention, as well as a few other people in Konoha, was how the orange jacket was always open to reveal his fishnet shirt barely hiding his well-toned abs.

Sasuke looked at him with such disbelief that he thought for a moment that maybe he was actually dreaming. He resisted the urge to pinch himself, to make sure he was really awake, and tried his best to make sure his voice was steady and calm, despite the look on his face.

"N-Naruto…"

"H-hey Sasuke," the blonde responded. "Uh…you kinda just-"

"I sensed your presence, so…"

"Oh, okay…"

The two remained completely silent, something that was so uncommon between the two. Sasuke tried his best to break the awkward tension building between the two. At least something to make things feel normal again.

"They're not here. Kakashi and Sakura, that is."

"Oh, I see."

That didn't help. At all.

Seeing Naruto turn his gaze away made Sasuke do the same thing. Aside from the occasional chirping of crickets outside his house, the only sound that could be heard was the drumming of his own fingers on the door. But it soon occurred to him he was keeping his friend there longer than he needed to, seeing how he never wanted to be alone with the young Uchiha.

"So…they're not here…you probably want to-"

"May I come in?"

It must have been the widest Sasuke had ever opened his eyes since that even surprised the tan boy a bit. The raven looked at the other a bit more to see he was entirely serious and needed to talk about something, something very important. And with a bit of hesitation, the young Uchiha moved by to let him in.

There was absolute silence when Naruto slipped off his shoes while Sasuke went and made tea. It was still quiet when they sat on the couch, side by side, unable to just look at each other, while they drank their beverage. Finally after about a half hour, Naruto finally spoke.

"When I got to Suna, I realized why they specifically called for me."

Sasuke only turned his head slightly before letting Naruto continue.

"He's…gone….Gaara is dead."

"What?"

Sasuke was so surprised from the statement he didn't even control the shakiness in his voice. After all, Gaara was a Jinjuriki. And if he died, then that would only mean-

"Akatsuki captured Gaara. And what they wanted was the beast inside of him. From what they could gather…they have a jutsu that can extract the tailed beast out of the host. But in exchange, the host will die…"

Naruto slowly finished the last of his tea before setting the cup on the table. Sasuke only continued to stare at the blonde, horrible thoughts of "what if" dancing through his head.

"They couldn't even find the body, but intelligence reports told about what things the Akatsuki was doing. And they confirmed that info after finding the Nibi's host. There were no signs of life or lingering chakra within her body. As of now, from what everyone could gather, four of the Jinjuriki have been captured. And they're currently looking for the Sanbi, but it doesn't currently have a host. Another thing about what the Akatsuki are doing is they may be capturing any Jinjuriki or beast they can find, but they must extract Kyuubi last for whatever their purpose is."

That would mean that even if they capture Naruto soon, they would have to take the Kyuubi out last. But that still didn't leave him in a better state seeing how this unknown group was already able to get the Yonbi in their grasp. Akatsuki was already on the move about a year ago and they already have so many beasts in such a short amount of time.

That would only mean the village would need to give Naruto more training, more attention and more protection. And Sasuke knew he would have to do the same and stick closer to Naruto than ever before. He didn't care what the old-bat had to say. He would march into the Hokage's office and demand to stay with Naruto at all times.

How he would get approval from someone who wanted to spit on him every time she saw him was a different challenge in itself.

His musing was interrupted with the soft chuckles heard from the boy next to him. He looked over and saw the blonde laughing, but not in the same way as if he was telling a joke or enjoying himself. There was a definite sign of pain and sorrow in his eyes, which made the raven frown at what he was thinking about.

"I went to his wake, Sasuke. And do you know what I learned there? That he became the Kazekage of the village. Just like that. And all my doubt about a village allowing a Jinjuriki being the leader of their village finally disappeared. It was so shocking, I didn't know what to say. And you know how much I talk.

"Gaara was just like me. He was born with a beast inside of him and was hated by the entire village. And after so much time, he was finally granted the highest honor the village had to offer. Granted, I'm sure he didn't get it the same way they would give it to someone they really respected and trusted, but it was still done. And if Suna could do it out of…fear…then maybe Konoha could do it out of love. Maybe I can do better and gain the trust of the village so I can be the Hokage that they respect, not one they would fear."

As he was talking, Sasuke could see something light up in Naruto's eyes. It was not like whenever he had a goal in sight, like always talking about being the next Hokage or when trying to protect one of his teammates. It was more like an epiphany, as if something that he didn't know for the longest time suddenly became clear to him. And that was even more obvious as the blonde continued to speak.

"It wasn't until a few days ago when I finally realized it. What you told me…that time."

The raven's breath hitched when he had an idea of what he was saying.

"You told me about how I treat people differently from one another. And it was when I really saw what you meant when I went to Gaara's wake. But I realized the people around me _were_ my family. The Third and Ero-Sennin are like my grandfathers and Baa-chan is my grandmother. And despite Iruka-sensei's age, I guess I could see him as bit of a father-figure. He was the one who would always try to teach me things even if I wasn't in the mood for listening.

"And the list would go on, but I ran into the biggest realization it was about you, Gaara and Sakura-chan."

Sasuke's body froze aside from his throat trying to swallow what little saliva he had. Naruto really i_did_/i think about what he had said, but why was Gaara in the mix? And truthfully, he forgot about Sakura when he was talking with Naruto while they were in that cell. And if it's been narrowed to the three of them, along with Sakura who Naruto had been crushing on for so long…

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, like trying to let the weight off his shoulders. It was so obvious that he was having trouble putting together what he wanted to say. The lump in Sasuke's throat grew with each passing second of silence.

"Sakura-chan…I said I liked her for so long, and I believe I really did. But…you were in the hospital and she was there every day looking over you. I went and got Baa-chan so she could come back and heal you and Kakashi-sensei. I promised her I would help you. For both her and your sakes. But after Baa-chan did her thing and you were finally up and moving around, all Sakura-chan could do was cry. She hugged you so tightly and cried for you. I didn't even get proper thanks from her. I don't think ever did.

"And it hurt, because I realized no matter what I did, no matter how much I tried, she would never look at me the way I would look at her or the way she looks at you. She would only have eyes for you. And it also hurt because for the first time in my life, I actually had to give up on something. I never did that. And when I finally did….it just hurt. But I also made myself believe that it just really wasn't meant to be, so I had to move on and not look at her like that anymore, but just as a "sister", I suppose."

Sasuke would have let out a sigh of relief if his story didn't have so much pain in it. He didn't want the blonde and Sakura to be an item, but he didn't want to be the reason that Naruto couldn't find some kind of happiness. Mostly because it would lead to Naruto not liking him even more than before. But he couldn't relax, especially since he heard of nothing but praise for the redhead.

"And Gaara…the only thing I can really say about him is that he may be…the person who is most like me…the one who understood my feelings the most. And I think it could be said the other way around."

"I see."

He didn't mean for it to sound so cold, but hearing that from Naruto just tore his heart in two. And he didn't want to be around him anymore. Like how Naruto felt when he finally knew Sakura would never be with him. Sasuke just had his hopes too high and they were crushed just like that. And when he got up to retreat from the room, or the house, he felt himself being yanked down and shoved right back into the leather couch. He opened his eyes and saw azure eyes looking right back into his, but it was pretty obvious there was anger in there as well.

"Sit down and listen to what I have to say!" he heard the blonde shout in his face. "I know you're ridiculously stubborn and knew you would react like this, but I didn't finish and you need to hear the rest of this! Got it?"

"What's there to hear?" Sasuke found himself shouting back. "You like Gaara! You and Gaara have so much in common that it's unbearable! You guys are so close! You guys just know _everything_ that you two had been through and you were just i_destined_i to know one another and be with one another!"

"Yeah! We _were_ destined to know one another! And you know what else? I think we were i_meant_/i to be close and have such a tight bond! But what we had is nothing compared to what you and I have!"

Sasuke had nothing to day, but Naruto kept shouting as if he didn't want the raven to get a word in.

"He and I were close! And we were so similar! You know what it felt like? Like I had a long lost twin! We were born the same and started our lives the exact same way! And our paths may differ from one another like the roads winding a different way, but I believe we would walk down the same road side by side! Or get to the exact destination! We were the same! We were meant to be the same! And were meant to have a same fate!

"But what you and I are is different! What happened to us in our past is nothing like one another but somehow we can still relate to one another! We may have had different roads, but they sure as hell have crossed multiple times before! And we still grew close to each other! We're still with one another! After everything that had happened! You're…you're still here with me…"

Sasuke sat there trying to let the words sink in. And he stared into those blue eyes that were now lit with that determination he was so well known for. But even with that speech of his, Sasuke could still feel a bit of distance between each other, and he wondered if Naruto was holding himself back.

If it was really a confession, shouldn't Naruto be all over Sasuke? But he recently found his thoughts being something found out of a shojo manga, even if that was how he really felt. But it wasn't his thoughts that were bothering him.

"So," the raven started quietly, "you're saying that you want to be with me…because I'm the only one here? Is this because of Sakura and Gaara leaving you behind?"

"What?"

"You had your heart set on Sakura, but she broke it into a million pieces. So you had to move on. She wasn't there for you when you wanted her to, but it was a first love, so it's somewhat forgivable. But Gaara is dead, where there is no chance of him coming back. You could have been closer to him, but now it's too late. So all who is left is me. So am I just there for the rebound?"

Naruto's eyes grew at how Sasuke would say such a thing and even spit that last question at him. Even Sasuke didn't exactly like the venom in his words. But he did feel hurt thinking it was only because he was the only one left.

"Wha- No! Listen to me! Gaara came into my life after you! I didn't even know there was someone else like me out there in the world! I didn't even know about any other Jinjuriki or if any others existed! And when I went after you, I never expected any help from Gaara or Suna for that matter! I didn't even know that Gaara and his brother and sister came to help us until after I got you back! All that was on my mind was you and how I had to get you back…"

Naruto trailed off as his eyes averted to the floor below them.

"I admit: I didn't want to lose another person so close to me. But I was thinking that on two different levels. Just not too long before you tried to leave, the Third died in his fight with Orochimaru. And you were going to be running to that same guy. I thought that if you did run off with him, then there would be a chance that he would kill you, too. And that made me think back to our first B-ranked mission, the one against Zabuza and Haku. I was so upset when I thought you were dead. That as the time that the Kyuubi seal first loosened up, because…because I thought I lost you.

"Because…you were my first bond. And the more time that passed by, the more I realized how that statement changes. I used to say you were my first friend, but that didn't seem to be the case any longer. So then, I thought of two people who could be closer to one another than just a friend, which would be a sibling. But now that I think about it, I wasn't exactly given good examples of siblings, what with Gaara's scared of him at the time and…well…yours…but I didn't know what else to think. I guess I was so caught up in the idea of liking Sakura-chan that I never even considered us on that level.

"But."

Naruto turned his eyes back up to Sasuke's, making the raven jump from the sudden action. Again, those eyes were filled with that determination, but they were also filled with something else that he hadn't seen in the blonde's eyes before.

"Sasuke," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm ready to give you my answer."

And it happened again, just like the time one year ago.

He couldn't wait for Naruto's answer and immediately pulled Naruto's body to himself and pushed his lips into the other pair. He dug his pale fingers into golden locks and wrapped an arm around Naruto's body, effectively pulling him closer as well as his lips. He immediately felt the electricity between them, dancing on his lips when they made contact, just like the feeling from the kiss they shared in the prison. When his lungs began to burn for oxygen, he tore his lips away and rested his forehead against Naruto's, even with the hitai-ate still on his tanned forehead.

"Teme," he heard the other boy breathe. "You didn't even wait for my answer…like last time."

"Hn."

The pale boy smirked as he let the hand in Naruto's hair drift down to rest on the boy's neck.

"I don't need to wait for you to say "yes", Dobe."

"Oh~ Cocky now, aren't we Uchiha?"

Sasuke's only answer was capturing those lips again, but this time without so much force. The little bit of doubt from Naruto's words earlier quickly melted away when he felt the other boy's arms wrap around his neck and felt the electricity of bare skin touching his own pale skin. Sasuke only opened his eyes for a second to take a peek at his love, seeing Naruto's eyes closed and enjoying the kiss as much as he was. After a little bit of time, the young Uchiha nipped at the blonde's lower lip and found it open automatically for his tongue to have full access. He wasted no time at all as he searched and found Naruto's tongue and began stroking it with his own appendage, tasting all that he could and get lost in the feeling, scent and taste that were all Naruto.

His hands had a steady grip on Naruto's body as he slowly lowered the blonde to lie on the couch, never breaking the contact of their lips with one another. He barely registered that he was pulling Naruto's hitai-ate off when he felt his tongue being pushed back into his own mouth. The kiss was far better than he imagined, feeling his whole body heat up from the intimate touch and filled with even more passion than their kiss one year ago. He felt Naruto's fingers dig into his shirt, feeling him get wrapped up in the kiss as much as he was. And the only thing his mind was screaming was to have more connection with Naruto.

More kissing.

More touching.

More.

More.

Either Sasuke wasn't into the kiss as much as he thought he was or he was so far into his burning desire to have more of the blonde, but one of those factors allowed his hands to start exploring. Their tongues were still in their heated play for dominance while his fingers brushed over Naruto's cheek before traveling south. He silently thanked whatever deity was out there when his fingers brushed over Naruto's chest when the only barrier between their flesh was the extremely thin fishnet shirt he wore. His index finger barely brushed over a nub but it was enough to make the blonde tear away from the kiss and take in a sharp breath.

The quiet moan Sasuke heard next to his ear encouraged him to wander further. His mouth sank down to the tan neck and kissed along Naruto's pulse while his hand traveled lower to pull the hem of his shirt up and fully expose that well-toned body. His hand slowly slid up the smooth skin and caressed a nipple with one finger. The moans coming from Naruto became a bit louder with the more pressure Sasuke applied. His mouth went further down until his lips brushed lightly against the same nub he was abusing earlier, earning another sharp intake of breath from the boy below him.

Those strong desires of wanting more took control of the young Uchiha the moment Naruto let out a deep moan. His mouth quickly went to work covering the bud of flesh and eagerly sucking it. He could feel Naruto beginning to whither under him when the grip on his shirt became tighter. He bit into the nipple before licking it and moving to the other unattended one. At this point, the only thing running through the raven's head was if he could get Naruto to moan louder, hold him tighter, making him beg. Wanting more of Sasuke. Having that same desire that Sasuke had caged so deep inside of him for so long.

"Ah!"

It felt like his wish was coming true when he heard a breathy moan escape from those lips.

"Ah~ Sasuke…"

Naruto's heated plea was accompanied with him gripping the pale boy's shoulders almost violently. It was almost as what Sasuke wished for. But when he felt Naruto's hips arch up to dig into his own, part of him was already lost in the feeling of Naruto. But something in his mind forced him to stop.

"Naruto…"

Sasuke pulled away from the tan boy's chest and looked up into those blue eyes. They were clouded with lust and half-lidded while trying to focus on the young Uchiha. As much as Sasuke wanted to continue, as much as he really, **really** wanted to fill all of his wet dreams…

"How..." he started hesitantly, "how far…are you willing to go?"

The question itself even caught Naruto off guard since his eyes seemed to widen and his mouth fell slightly open. Sasuke knew that they had been supposedly holding their feelings in for so long, at least he was, but they were still i_just_i getting together. He just got a hold of Naruto and he didn't want to let that go. He didn't want to lose that feeling after holding it in for so long and feared losing that connection with the blonde after waiting for so damn long.

Of course his body was yelling at him to forget what his mind was saying and just ravish him, tear off all his clothing and pound into him to where he became a trembling mess and begged him to go further and harder right after begging to him to stop. Of course he wanted to make Naruto understand just how much Sasuke wanted him and see him to the same to and for him.

But his heart forced his body to stop. He didn't want to take the chance and lose everything. If he acted right, of course they would eventually get to that state. But he didn't want to risk it and lose everything, both emotional and physical connections with Naruto. He had to wait. And yes, Sasuke wasn't the patience sort of guy, but he could hold off when it came to Naruto's feelings.

"I…"

Sasuke held his breath until the blonde finished.

"I…I'm willing to go…as far as you want to…Sasuke…"

The raven's heart would have burst with joy.

_Would_ have.

But the visible signs stopped him from listening to his body's previous orders. Azure eyes were looking at everywhere besides Sasuke's face. The hands on his shoulders were trembling as they tried to control their grip. And the pink hue in his cheeks changed to a color that rivaled a tomato.

Yes, Naruto was a virgin. He knew that. And so was he. It's pretty obvious to be nervous with your first time. But that doubt in Sasuke's mind was still nagging him, telling him not to push Naruto or risk losing him for good. He didn't want to lose this opportunity. He didn't want to lose all of this.

He didn't want to lose Naruto.

Sasuke quietly rose himself back up and placed a kiss on Naruto's temple. Gentle enough to tell him that he wanted to make the night special but wouldn't harm him, either. Then he lowered himself to kiss him fully on the lips once more, pouring all of his emotions into it and telling Naruto just how much he cared for him. And he felt Naruto's response and feelings when he deepened the kiss.

It wasn't so much about being gentle. It was more for not wanting to lose what little they had left.

Naruto slid off his jacket without breaking the kiss, most likely from the heat between their bodies. Not long after came his shirt as well as Sasuke's. As much as Sasuke wanted to move this to his bedroom, he didn't want to break away from the blonde or stop this.

Not even for a second.

Sasuke could feel the other's hands roaming over his chest, experimentally touching and rubbing his own nipples and hearing gasps coming from the raven's lips. Sasuke, still unsure of his actions, reached down between them and trailed his hand down the blonde's body, hearing gasps and moans pleasing to the ear, until he hit the hem of those orange pants. He could feel Naruto's lips stop moving in their heated kiss as fingers hesitantly worked on the button and zipper to open them. Sasuke slowly pulled his lips away and looked down into Naruto's bright blue eyes, resting his forehead on top of the other while trying to steady his breathing.

"This…"

Sasuke dipped a pale hand into the tan boy's boxers and pulled out his sex with shaky hands. Naruto's body jumped to the foreign touch and shut his eyes while his face grew a deeper shade of red.

"Only this," Sasuke whispered.

His hand slowly stroked a bit of the flesh before continuing.

"I'll only do this. Is…that okay?"

There was a long pause between them. The silence and waiting was eating at Sasuke, his own body wanting to feel more as well as Naruto's member in his hand begging just as much as his was. The pain in Sasuke's heart was telling him that they really were moving too fast. That is, until the blonde below him finally gave a quick but small nod as his grip tightened on the raven's shoulders.

Sasuke waited a few more seconds before stroking Naruto's penis again, earning a low moan as well as feeling Naruto's legs squirming underneath him. And with that, Sasuke slowly proceeded forward, watching Naruto's face as he was reacting to each stroke on his sensitive skin but also watching for any signs of discomfort and doubt. The pale boy could feel his own pants becoming a hindrance to his own growing erection, but didn't want to stop touching Naruto now that the blonde was finally available to be so close to.

He was already too familiar with his own hand. What he wanted to feel at that moment was Naruto and Naruto only.

But his prayers were answered when he felt the stress on his own pants be relieved when he felt a hand dive into his own pair of underwear and pull out his own member pulsing with the need of being touched. His own body lurched forward from the sudden contact as he let out a low groan of pleasure. Opening eyes he didn't even know were closed, he looked over and saw Naruto looking at him with a playful look in his eyes, challenging him even to something like this. And because of Sasuke's competitive nature, he didn't back down and proceeded to pump at the leaking flesh in his hand.

He tried his best to keep his hand moving, but all of his focus was on Naruto's hand moving over his own shaft. If masturbating was anything like jerking your partner off, then Sasuke would be a pro at it, which he would never say so proudly. But he was sure that the sensation of someone else touching you was so much more pleasant than touching yourself. That could easily be said since Naruto almost had him to a whithering mess.

Those fingers skillfully curled themselves around the raven's shaft, working wonders along the skin, making it roll over the tip that threw Sasuke's head back accompanied with a low moan. Over and over he felt Naruto's hand do that, moving up and down, squeezing at just the right times that got a reaction out of him that encouraged him to do more. The movements of the hand were easily gliding over his member thanks to the leaking pre-cum that lightly coated the organ.

Sasuke wasn't sure if he was even doing his part right anymore, but that look on Naruto's face said otherwise. And it also made his penis grow harder from just a glance. Eyes half-lidded and clouded with lust, cheeks dusted with a rosy color, mouth open with saliva running down the corners. And it was all Sasuke that was making Naruto feel this way. Making him look at him in that way, making him react with moans and harsh breaths spilling from that edible mouth of his.

Just how much more could Sasuke do to him.

Previous thoughts about holding back were starting to slip from the raven's mind. He gave a quick kiss on the blonde's lisp before lowering his head to rest in the crook of Naruto's neck. He never stopped the movement of his hand, letting the other hand that was previously by Naruto's head glide down that smooth body and started slipping off the remainder of the blonde's clothes. He only removed himself from between the boy's legs for only a split second so the orange pants and green boxers, still as atrocious as ever, slipped off and revealed legs that rarely exposed themselves to light.

He watched the clothes drop to a puddle at the edge of the couch before turning his gaze over to his partner. The sight quickly made him take in a breath. Looking right back at him were those same, bright cerulean eyes he was so fond and familiar with, with his hair plastered around his head from a work-up of sweat. His body was fully exposed where only the lower part was a lighter shade than the rest of his body, mostly from hiding itself from sunlight and the rest of the world around him.

It was such a breathtaking sight, easily arousing both his thoughts and his cock when watching the lean muscles move slightly under him, unaware of what he was really doing at the time. Sasuke would have sat there all day, hypnotized by the blonde's body and eyes. But something quickly brought him back to reality. It was the tan hand that dug itself deep into the raven's pants and massaged his balls seductively but firmly.

"Teme," he heard Naruto growl. "Just looking at me isn't gonna get me off. You're gonna have to do more than that."

Sasuke smirked at the silent challenge, leaning himself forward so their bare chests made full contact with one another. His hand swatted Naruto's away from his member and wrapped his own pale hand both sexes and started pumping at a faster rate than before. Naruto threw his head back from the new sensation, someone else's hand and shaft rubbing against his own, and let out a louder moan that was a new version of the Uchiha's name.

Sasuke took the opportunity to attach his lips to the exposed tan neck and quickly went to work covering one side with kisses and love bites, enough to leave marks that Kyuubi wouldn't need to heal. The raven slid the pad of his thumb over the blonde's slit, making sure to give Naruto more attention than himself, while enjoying the feeling of the tan boy's member rubbing against his own. And when he felt Naruto's arms wrap around his neck, he knew he wouldn't last that long.

His hips were suddenly jerking forward, sliding in and out of the ring made by his fingers, forcefully rubbing against the other leaking penis trapped in the pale hand with it. Breathing was starting to get difficult and the movement of his hand was getting as short and fast as the breaths he had to take. Then he sat up, pulling out of Naruto's embrace, and grabbed both of Naruto's knees from their underside and pulled them wide open. Sasuke didn't hear the surprised gasp coming from the blonde beneath him. He was so lost in the feeling that was all Naruto that everything around him was a haze.

His hips pushed forward, pushing the Uchiha's leaking head to rub on the underside of Naruto's sac where both boys let out groans that filled the air in the room. He faintly heard Naruto's hands trying to grab onto something, _anything_, from the assault on his sensitive areas, but couldn't get a solid hold on the leather slowly being stained by their juices and sweat. It didn't look like Naruto would last any longer from this overwhelming pleasure since all of this was still new to him. Just like Sasuke.

Said boy pushed himself forward more and pressed his whole body was touching Naruot's; their chests, lips, and shafts making complete contact with each other. As Sasuke could feel Naruto's arms wrap around his neck once again, he could also feel the other boy's tongue push past his lips and coax his tongue, quickly building the amount of pleasure the young raven was feeling. He felt something winding in his abdomen with every thrust his hips would force his sex to grind on the other boy below him. Sasuke tore away from Naruto's mouth and let out low, labored breaths, closely bordering those of animalistic sounds or even when he was in his cursed form. But those thoughts were quickly shoved aside feeling nails pierce the skin on his back when Naruto let out a loud moan near the pale boy's ear.

"S-sa- ah! Oh, Sasuke~!"

Just then, something overtook the raven. He didn't stop rolling his hips into Naruto's. A pale hand that were resting beside the blonde's head slowly trailed itself along the tan boy's body until it reached the boy's hips. Sasuke lowered his lips to Naruto's ear and was about to speak until he felt a sharp thrust from other boy that forced him to gasp for air and almost felt that coil inside his body snap. He took the time from the small recovery to bite on the shell of the blonde's ear before licking it apologetically and speaking in a husky voice.

"Do you feel it, Naruto?" he whispered, trying to control his own voice. "Do you feel me touching you? Holding you? I've wanted to do this for so long…for so i_damn_/i long."

He shoved his hips during his emphasis and felt Naruto's arms almost choke him. But he just continued to speak.

"I honestly don't know when I started to look at you like this…from either the time we were experimented on or even when we were younger than that. I don't know. But I wanted something like this."

Sasuke's hand that was patiently waiting on the tan hip began its descent and carefully made its way down Naruto's leg, gently gliding over the globes on the blonde's backside.

"No, not this…something more. I've always wanted more from you. More of that voice, more of looking into your eyes, more of your attention….more of your feelings."

Sasuke's hips began moving slower but harder against Naruto, trying his best to keep his eyes open and look at the raven's face. But Sasuke couldn't help burying his face into the tan neck, trying his best to suppress his upcoming orgasm threatening to rip throughout his body.

"I always wanted more from you, Naruto. I always wanted your l_ove_. I wanted to hold you, kiss you, love you. Love you emotionally and _physically_. I wanted to touch you where you always wanted to be touched and love you the way you _deserve_ to be loved."

Naruto's loud and hot breaths were felt on the rim of the Sasuke's ear now red from the heat of the rising body temperature. His hips began picking up the pace, grinding harder and faster into the other boy's manhood trying to build up for release. And he knew Naruto was getting close just like he was. It wasn't long after he paused his speech when Naruto's legs started twitching, occasionally bumping his knees into the pale waist. Feeling the anticipation, the hand on Naruto's backside dug itself between the blonde's backside and the couch and pressed him harder against the pale boy. Both boys moaned out loud and only continued their wild movements.

"And I that I'm doing this now, but do you really want to know what I always dreamt about doing to you?"

"No…"

Sasuke ignored the half-hearted plea and continued whispering into the tan ear.

"I always wanted to feel every inch of your body with my tongue, tasting every part that isn't exposed to the world. Places that only I would be familiar with and see…"

"Saaaasukeeee…"

"And then I'd let my tongue travel lower and let it taste that weeping cock of yours. Just putting it in my mouth and sucking every last drop from you…"

"Oh God…Sasuke…"

He wanted to hold off his words, but he wanted to finish so bad. Naruto was already squeezing him so close after hearing what Sasuke said. And the raven himself was getting hotter after hearing his own words. But he used the last of his willpower to hold off for a few more seconds, determined to get Naruto to cum before he would.

"And then….I would push my big…."

He was close.

"Hard…."

So close.

"Thick cock….so deep inside of you….hitting that spot over, and over….and over again…just rubbing you from the inside so much…you'd be forced to scream my name-"

"SASUKE!"

The raven felt a puddle of semen forming between their bodies before he lost control and let his own orgasm go. He felt his whole body heat up and spasm a bit, electricity running throughout his entire body as the hot semen shot out of his manhood. His hard, quick thrust became more shallow over time, feeling the intensity of his orgasm drift out of his body. And he gave one last thrust, feeling the heat disappear from his body, before collapsing on top of the blonde and letting out a heavy breath.

He felt it took the longest time to get off his high when his thoughts started to come together. Sasuke lifted his body off of the tan boy below him and raised his head to look at the said boy.

"Naruto?" he managed to whisper.

His only response was when those tan eyelids opened to reveal those same cerulean orbs he adored looking into before closing again from the lack of energy.

"Was that alright?"

"Was that alright?" Naruto repeated with evidence of exhaustion in his voice. "Sasuke, I think you may be _the_ biggest pervert I had ever met. And I was around Ero-Sennin for weeks…not to mention that time Orochimaru got a hold of me with his tongue-"

"Oh yeah, that's a great image to have in your head after what we just did."

Naruto chuckled at the sarcastic remark from the boy above him.

"No, but seriously," Naruto chuckled a bit, "that was pretty good. Though I think we may be in trouble."

"Because our little 'activity' may have led to the release of our powers and possibly us losing control?"

"No, because we're still technically underage. I think we're gonna have a serious lecture tomorrow by Baa-chan."

The raven thought about the ANBU that continued to follow them as they stayed in the village and had no doubt that one of them left to report all that to the old lady in charge. But then he wondered if whoever looked over them had actually left when they started or stayed the entire time to "get every bit of information".

Bunch of perverts. Watching boys doing something like that.

Then it made him wonder if they watch _everyone_ in the village like that.

He cut his thoughts off, deciding the couch wasn't a very comfortable place for a couple to sleep. And he almost smiled at the thought of them now being able to call themselves a "couple."

"Hey. What are you smiling at, Sasuke?"

So maybe he did smile after all. But this time, he didn't feel like hiding his emotions anymore. Sasuke quickly planted a kiss on the blonde's cheek before sitting up and looking for the shirt that was dropped somewhere nearby.

"Hey, Teme. You didn't answer my question."

"Why do you think?"

"Why you're smiling?"

"Hn."

"Maybe because I'm the sunshine of your world and the light that brought you out of the darkness and now you're life is filled with rainbows and lollipops and bunnies and such?"

The whole idea just made the smile on the raven's face disappear.

"Dobe. That's _your_ world. And a scary one, might I add."

"Then how about the fact that we just jerked each other off? Oh, hey! What if I use that for the argument with Baa-chan tomorrow?"

"Whatever. But don't use 'jerk-off', it makes you sound like a real idiot. Just say…uh…'ejaculate'."

The room was filled with uncontrollable laughter coming from the blonde. And what made it even weirder to look at was the fact that he still didn't bother to cover himself and every time he moved from laughing…well, _everything_ moved.

"Ha! Ejaculate? _Ejactu_- Oh man! Hahaha! Of course! It makes sense to use old granny terms against an old hag! Haha!"

Generally, Sasuke would have snorted and threw some kind of insult toward Naruto's way, but at that point, he just felt like he was in higher spirits. He couldn't help the warmness in his body take over his lungs and diaphragm as he let out a few deep chuckles of his own that erupted into the same laughing fit the blonde was in.

And it just felt _right_.

No more awkwardness. No more distance between them. Now they can finally be together with nothing separating them any longer.

No blindness for the desire of revenge. No despair from the feelings of separation and loneliness.

And the future is going to be tough. No doubt about that. But as long as Sasuke had Naruto and the blonde's determination and courage by his side, he was sure he could face any hardships that was thrown at him.

The Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and Itachi wouldn't be able to do anything against those two.

Their bond was truly inseparable.

END

* * *

**Did you enjoy it? I hope so. This was a gift for a friend of mine on deviantART and I had to put off everything else otherwise I would never get this done. Though things in the real world kept me busy from working on this, but now I finally have it done!**

**And now with this out of the way, I can finally continue on The Uke Club and _Hunt_. I hope you all enjoyed this! Happy SasuNaru-ing!**


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